AUSTIN | Projects & Construction II - Page 464

BevoLJ · #**9261** Posted **Sep 2, 2011, 8:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by DZH22

(before it becomes indecent exposure, and even then it's still too hot!)

Well thankfully with the laws regarding nudity around here you would have to try really REALLY hard to get arrested for indecent exposure.

Pretty much what Hill County said. Thankfully we have different climates for different people. London is always raining, in the North US it is always snowing, in the south it is always hot, your only true safe bet is LA and San Diego. But then you have to deal with the people that live in those two cities. lol.

Early in the summer the 100 plus days really got to me. But now it hardly bothers me. I am also very active and always out and about doing this or that. As long and I am being smart about it, I have just become very used to the heat and it is not my worry. My worry is the sun and getting enough H2O. My body has gotten used to the temp over the summer, although if I go off to London for a week and come back then it has to readjust but it does so quite quickly.

I spent 4 years of school up near Boston. After I was done with school I swore that I would never live in the north again. I can take the heat. My body adjust and gets used to it just fine. But the snow that goes sideways in the wind and there is no way to cover all your holes like your ears and nose and mouth and eyes and the snow just always finds way in, then you can't go outside swimming in the creeks or lakes when it is below freezing. You have to find other ways to exercise rather than riding your bike or jogging outside, rather you have to stay in and work out or go skiing or play hockey or something.

For many people being forced inside for all winter is better than having to deal with heat in summer. While for others having to get used to the heat in summer is better than being stuck in some prison during the winter. Whether it is August or February I can can go jog, bike or swimming around Town Lake. But from December to March in Boston I would be snowed into my dorm room unable to do any of those things. =(

The ATX · #**9262** Posted **Sep 2, 2011, 11:34 PM**

Here are a couple renderings of the Marriot Marquis from HotelNews.com. There is an extensive fluff piece article about Austin with them.

http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles.aspx/6351/Austin-Texas-Unique-in-spirit-hotel-development

AUSTIN, Texas—Because of its unique demand generators, the Austin, Texas, hotel market went into the recession late and seems to be coming out early. And with additional demand generators coming online, including a Circuit of Americas facility that will host a Formula 1 Grand Prix race annually from 2012 to 2020 and another 1,000-room hotel to host conventions, the state capital is booming with hotel development.

ahealy · #**9263** Posted **Sep 2, 2011, 11:46 PM**

That's better..The glass looks much nicer than that horrible tan crap from before.I really like the semi green roof on the base section. More buildings need that in Austin

BevoLJ · #**9264** Posted **Sep 3, 2011, 12:22 AM**

It looks like the simi green roof is a part of a shell the west side of the building and it goes up and turns into that roof. Perhaps that is to reduce the afternoon western sun hitting the west side windows to help on cooling? Or just for looks? Either way it looks nicer.

Dale · #**9265** Posted **Sep 3, 2011, 1:05 AM**

Kevin mentioned that he was told Marriot was working on the roof in a way that could make for a 30' difference in height.

Now I see what they were talking about.

KevinFromTexas · #**9266** Posted **Sep 3, 2011, 1:17 AM**

Well that's an improvement. I like it.

Yes, I was working on getting the height of the building.

Quote:

We are still evaluating a few options that will affect the overall
height (could affect it by up to 30' depending on the final design).

This was from someone with White Lodging.

I'm wondering if they're planning a reduction in the number of rooms. It's hard to count the number of floors in those renderings, but the height doesn't seem too different from the other design. Notice that they chopped off the north side portion of the tower so that it's no longer an 'L' shaped tower.

The ATX · #**9267** Posted **Sep 3, 2011, 1:24 AM**

It is very hard to count the floors in the rendering. But it appears to be roughly 35 stories with the new configuration.

KevinFromTexas · #**9268** Posted **Sep 3, 2011, 1:29 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by The article

Supply growth in Austin isn’t expected to slow down anytime soon. According to STR, there are three hotels under construction, representing 214 rooms; 22 projects representing 3,085 rooms in the final planning stage; and 20 projects representing 3,169 rooms in the planning stage.

This is interesting. Remember a while back there was an article that said there were "7,000 hotel rooms planned"? Those more detailed numbers they have listed above do roughly add up to that.

And this talks about the Hyatt Place hotel and says it'll break ground next week.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The article

White Lodging commenced construction on its 21st hotel in Austin, a 296-unit Hyatt Place one block from the Austin Convention Center, next week.

MichaelB · #**9269** Posted **Sep 3, 2011, 5:01 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahealy

That's better..The glass looks much nicer than that horrible tan crap from before.I really like the semi green roof on the base section. More buildings need that in Austin

Yeah... Like all that.... don't like the feeling of the Congress side so much. A Little on the generic warm and fuzzzy modern austin side for me. Wish they had kept some of the edge of the prior Mid-century feel and found a new way to deal with it.

of course that may be asking quite a lot from Whiting and I should just be happy this is better than most of their stock schlock.

Cloud92 · #**9270** Posted **Sep 3, 2011, 6:05 PM**

That's a lot better I approve

llamaorama · #**9271** Posted **Sep 4, 2011, 10:09 PM**

even if it turns out to be shorter or smaller, it just looks SOOO much better. That beige sucked, it reminded me too much of our abandoned 16-story "skyscraper" here in College Station.

The plain glass wall might be boring anywhere else, but Austin doesn't have anything like that. I think being near the Austonian and Frost, glass will look great

Myomi · #**9272** Posted **Sep 5, 2011, 5:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

I'm wondering if they're planning a reduction in the number of rooms. It's hard to count the number of floors in those renderings, but the height doesn't seem too different from the other design. Notice that they chopped off the north side portion of the tower so that it's no longer an 'L' shaped tower.

Even though they seemed to have removed the northern section (eliminating the L design), I do not think they have reduced the room count. The entire point of the city putting so much effort into this project was to attract the coveted "1000-room convention center hotel." A 1000-rooms seems like it is important from purely a psychological and marketing stand points. So for that reason alone, I think that that 1000 is definitely a minimum requirement for the hotel. With just 1003 rooms, the original design did not have much room to play with if they wanted to meeting that goal. So I think that if they wanted to eliminate the L section, they would have to either squeeze more rooms into the tower or build higher.

Also, one question: I think I remember reading somewhere in one of the codes or proposed downtown plans that Austin prohibited reflective glass curtain walls. Does anyone have any insight on that?

N90 · #**9273** Posted **Sep 5, 2011, 6:25 PM**

I counted the number of floors on that new rendering and it came out to 40 floors even, which includes the ground level lobby.

Austin has a lot of great projects right now that will chage downtown and the skyline for good. Texas seems to plan ahead with its skyscrapers, it mostly builds them in a time period when its booming metros are between 2 to 3 million people in the metros. Think back to Dallas and Houston and their construction boom in the 1970's.

List of projects (Add on if I forgot anything):
- 800 foot T. Stacy Tower
- 430 foot T. Stacy Tower
- Manchester's 1,000 room convention hotel
- Tower one of Seaholm Disrict, appears to be the same height as 360
- Tower two of Seaholm, appears to be the same height as 360 or slightly smaller
- Tower three of Seaholm
- Tower four of Seaholm, considerably smaller than the others
- Marriott Convention Center Hotel, 40 stories

That's all I can remember upfront right now, maybe some of you guys can add in to the list.

chaust · #**9274** Posted **Sep 5, 2011, 11:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BevoLJ

Early in the summer the 100 plus days really got to me. But now it hardly bothers me. I am also very active and always out and about doing this or that. As long and I am being smart about it, I have just become very used to the heat and it is not my worry. My worry is the sun and getting enough H2O. My body has gotten used to the temp over the summer, although if I go off to London for a week and come back then it has to readjust but it does so quite quickly.
. =(

As a former longtime Austonian I still haven't adjusted to cold winters. But I don't remember a hot streak like the one ya'll had this season. I really wonder how hard it must be to deal not just with the day time temps, but even at night it hovers in the high 70's.

I imagine everyone's AC bill is sky high even in a studio apartment.

I just don't remember the 80's and 90's being sweltering in the summer like the this last decade. I pray the cycle will revert soon.

jowens · #**9275** Posted **Sep 6, 2011, 3:30 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelB

Yeah... Like all that.... don't like the feeling of the Congress side so much. A Little on the generic warm and fuzzzy modern austin side for me. Wish they had kept some of the edge of the prior Mid-century feel and found a new way to deal with it.

of course that may be asking quite a lot from Whiting and I should just be happy this is better than most of their stock schlock.

Totally agree with you MB. Get it started soon before it changes again for the worse!

ahealy · #**9276** Posted **Sep 6, 2011, 4:10 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by chaust

as a former longtime austonian

austinite*

NYC_Longhorn · #**9277** Posted **Sep 9, 2011, 4:14 PM**

Hey where did everyone go on the Austin Forum? We are being overtaken by threads on places like Des Moines !!!!!! :-) I need to start contributing more to the chat....

Anyone have renderings of the F1 buildings? In the You Tube Video of the track flyover....there is one that looks very interesting

Cloud92 · #**9278** Posted **Sep 9, 2011, 6:53 PM**

Anybody know whats going to happen to that hole in the ground and the aveda building next to the hospital?

The ATX · #**9279** Posted **Sep 9, 2011, 11:14 PM**

We've been paying more attention to the wildfires and weather lately.

Jdawgboy · #**9280** Posted **Sep 11, 2011, 5:39 AM**

The more I look at that rendering the more Im fairly convinced that it is taller I would say between 30 and 40 floors. They did not lower the room count and since they did take that wing off the only way they could do it is to go up. Of course we will have to wait for official word on it but thats what I think.

I love the design, it is a huge improvement over earlier horrible ugly and crappy rendering and I honestly love the Congress side as well as the east facing side of the tower. If it comes out to how the rendering has it, it will be interesting to look at just about all angles.